UNIX: changing multiple file names without hassel?

[wizzz]

In UNIX systems, is there a tool or utility to change multiple file names with a few commands?

For example, suppose I have 200 MP3 files.
And all the file names are "MusicianName-Album-SongName-TrackNumber.mp3"

How would I cut off the MusicianName field of each file name? (for all 200 files)

 

[n0cmonkey]

Write a script. You could probably do it in perl quickly.

Which Unix do you have that many mp3s on?! I wasnt aware Aix had sound P) and didnt think Solaris' sound was all that worthwhile. HP-UX have decent sound? (I think thats all the Unixes out there really... cant remember for sure though)

 

[bizmark]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey
Write a script. You could probably do it in perl quickly.

Which Unix do you have that many mp3s on?! I wasnt aware Aix had sound P) and didnt think Solaris' sound was all that worthwhile. HP-UX have decent sound? (I think thats all the Unixes out there really... cant remember for sure though)

wouldn't the answer apply to Linux as well as UNIX proper?

 

[Bremen]

n0c is just using his nonexistent humor to point out the original posters mistatements

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

use rename. i dont know if rename is a gnu tool and/or how common it is outside of linux, but its immensly useful for this type of thing. it uses perl regular expressions. for example:

something like this:

rename 's/(.*)-(.*)-(.*)-([0-9]*)\.mp3/\\2-\\3-\\4.mp3/' *3

that might be a bit off, do a test run first!

 

[cleverhandle]

Sweet! I was going to do a shell script with sed, but rename is clearly better suited for the job. Nice, BBWF.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

I was going to do a shell script with sed, but rename is clearly better suited for the job. Nice, BBWF.

<oldmanvoice>yeah back in my early linux days (*cough*last spring*cough*) i didnt know wtf i was gonna do about renaming mp3's, and i decided i'd have to either learn perl or write a horrificly ugly/messy/buggy bash/sed script for every specific use.</oldmanvoice>

then i found rename! (larry wall, you rock )

 

[cleverhandle]

Yeah, I'll have to grow the balls to read up on regular expressions again. I wrote a script or two using them to track ports in BSD a couple months back, and they worked well. But lately, every time I have a problem to solve, I look at all those special characters, and my eyes glaze over.

Still, sed is the way to go for editing .m3u's, at least.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Bremen
n0c is just using his nonexistent humor to point out the original posters mistatements

 

[Need4Speed]

Originally posted by: Bremen
n0c is just using his nonexistent humor to point out the original posters mistatements

I wouldn't have believed it, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes